THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT

– “A New Wave of Environmentalists Want to Give Nature Legal Rights”(Jackie Fynn Mogensen, MotherJones): “Ships and corporations have legal standing. Should ecosystems?… Rights-of-nature laws often work by appointing a guardian to advocate for a particular ecosystem or natural feature, much like a parent represents a child’s interests in court. The guardian can sue on the ecosystem’s behalf. If the ecosystem is awarded damages, the money might go into a trust dedicated to funding its restoration.”

BEYOND THE BAY STATE

– “It’s Not Over Yet: Oregon Governor Will Push Forward Cap-and-Invest”(Noa Dalzell, Climate XChange): “Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) announced on Monday that she is prepared to use her executive order privileges to push forward the state’s contentious cap-and-invest plan. The legislation, which would make Oregon just the second state in the nation to put an economy-wide price on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, was derailed after 11 Republican Senators fled the Capitol for nine days, hiding out in nearby states.Without a 20-Senator quorum, a vote could not be held.”

– “24 Governors Call on Trump to Halt Rollback on Rules for Clean Cars”(Hiroko Tabuchi, NY Times): “Two dozen governors from across the country, including two Republicans and governors of four states that voted for President Trump in 2016, are set to urge his administration on Tuesday to halt one of his biggest climate policy rollbacks:the weakening of federal clean car rules.”

INSIDE THE BELTWAY

– “Fact-checking Trump’s speech on the US environment”(Daniel Dale, Michael Nedelman & Holmes Lybrand, CNN): “President Donald Trump sought to highlight his administration’s record on environmental issues during a speech from the White House on Monday.Here’s a rolling list of claims Trump made during his remarks.”

BEACON HILL HAPPENINGS
- The Inside Scoop: What's Gonna Pass In 2019: Back from August recess, state lawmakers are refocusing their efforts on multiple legislative priorities including a number of clean energy and climate change proposals. Interestingly, the timeline for some...